TIGER...

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a mammal of the Felidae family, one of four "big cats" in the Panthera genus. Native to the mainland of southeastern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and the largest feline species in the world, comparable in size to the biggest fossil felids. The Bengal Tiger is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population, and is found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. An endangered species, the majority of the world's tigers now live in captivity. The tiger is solitary and territorial, preferring cover in deep forest, but also ranging in open areas. The cat hunts by stalk-and-ambush and may take a variety of mid- and large-sized prey, particularly ungulates. Males are much larger than females and have larger home ranges. Amongst the nine extant tiger subspecies, there is significant size variation.

Hunting Tigers

Tigers' extremely strong jaws and sharp teeth make them superb predators.Tigers hunt alone. They ambush their prey as other cats do, overpowering their prey from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock prey off balance. Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 60 km/h (37 mph). The tiger uses its muscled forelimbs to hold onto the prey, bringing it to the ground. Once the prey is prone, the tiger bites the back of the neck, often breaking the prey's spinal cord, piercing the windpipe, or severing the jugular vein or carotid artery. Tigers prefer to bite the throats of large prey. The tiger remains latched onto the neck until its prey dies.

In the wild, tigers can leap as high as 5 m (16 ft) and as far as 9–10 m (30–33 ft), making them one of the highest-jumping mammals (just slightly behind cougars in jumping ability).

They have been reported to carry domestic livestock weighing 50 kg (110 lb) while easily jumping over fences 2 m (6 ft 6 in) high. Their heavily muscled forelimbs are used to hold tightly onto the prey and to avoid being dislodged, especially by large prey such as gaurs. Gaurs and water buffalo weighing over a ton have been killed by tigers weighing about a sixth as much. A single blow from a tiger's paw can kill a full-grown dog or human, or can incapacitate a 150 kg (330 lb) Sambar.

There are nine recent subspecies of tiger, three of which are extinct and one of which is almost certain to become extinct in the near future. Their historical range (severely diminished today) ran through Russia, Siberia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, China and south-east Asia, including the Indonesian islands. These are the surviving subspecies, in descending order of wild population:

Bengal tiger

The Bengal Tiger is one of the largest cats in the world, second only to its cousin, the Siberian tiger. The males may reach lengths of 10 feet from head to tail, and weigh around 500 pounds in the wild. The females are usually smaller, averaging around 8-9 feet long and weighing approximately 300 pounds.

The most distinctive characteristic of a tiger is certainly the orange and black stripes that appear on the tiger's pelt. These stripes are used to break up the coloration of the tiger when it is hunting. This makes seeing the tiger more difficult to the prey, thus allowing it to capture prey more easily.

Bengal tigers also appear in a mysterious white form. These animals are often mistaken for another species, however they are Bengal tigers. The white tigers are not albino, but they are lucistic. This mutation is similar to albinism because it prevents the production of melanin, the coloring pigment present in the skin and hair. However, lucistic tigers have blue eyes, unlike the pink eyes of an albino. These animals do occur in the wild, but their light coloration makes it difficult for them to survive to adult. They are easily seen by predators and make an easy meal.

Indochinese Tiger...

The Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is more commonly known as the Indochinese, or Malayan tiger, and was recognized as a subspecies as recen tly as 1968 from a tiger discovered in the vicinity of a coastal town in Central Vietnam. Corbetti is a smaller, darker, and less boldly striped tiger than the Bengal subspecies found in India. Males can reach a length of 9 feet and may obtain weights in excess of 400 pounds. Female Indochinese Tigers like other female tiger subspecies, are smaller then their male counterparts. Females achieve a head to tail length of eight feet and weigh approximately 250 pounds.

In 1930, it is estimated the Indochinese Tigers population in Malaysia alone was over 3,000 animals. Due to the rapid spread of firearms and the opening of forests for agriculture, human settlement, and mining, these numbers have drastically declined. Cambodia supports a large percentage of this population, with 50% forest cover remaining.

Corbetti inhabits the forest hills and mountainous, rugged terrain in this area. Current plans are underway to sell off much this unprotected territory to logging companies. It is estimated that there are only 1200 to 1800 Indochinese Tigers are left in the wild with an additional 60 animals being maintained in American and Asian zoos under the auspices of captive breeding programs.

Malayan Tiger...

The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), exclusively found in the southern (Malaysian) part of the Malay Peninsula, was not considered a subspecies in its own right until 2004. The new classification came about after a study by Luo et al. from the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity Study, part of the National Cancer Institute of the United States. Recent counts showed there are 600–800 tigers in the wild, making it the third largest tiger population behind the Bengal tiger and the Indochinese tiger. The Malayan tiger is a national icon in Malaysia, appearing on its coat of arms and in logos of Malaysian institutions, such as Maybank.

Sumatran tiger...

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen chiefly in the island's national parks. Recent genetic testing has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers, indicating that it may develop into a separate species, if it is not made extinct. This has led to suggestions that Sumatran tigers should have greater priority for conservation than any other subspecies. Habitat destruction is the main threat to the existing tiger population (logging continues even in the supposedly protected national parks), but 66 tigers were recorded as being shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, or nearly 20% of the total population. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies. Adult males weigh between 100–130 kg (220–286 lb), females 70–90 kg (154–198 lb). Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the Sumatra Island where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. On February 3, 2007 a pregnant Sumatran Tiger was caught by people from Rokan Hilir village at Riau province. Indonesian fauna conservation officials are planning to transfer her to the Bogor Safari Park in Java.